SUMMARY
Hawk was a very enjoyable player to grade, because he is consistently around the ball and makes a ton of plays. He was the leader of Ohio State's defense, and consistently stepped up and made the big play when the team needed it most. He is a thickly built linebacker with the rare acceleration, playing speed and closing ability that few linebackers have -- once he gets started towards the ball carrier, he finds a way to get there and make the play. He is an aggressive player who will take on lead blockers strong at the point of attack, can stack things up, shed the block, and make the tackle. While Hawks is an excellent player vs. the run, he is unique, in that he is almost as good in coverage as he is against the run -- he can consistently break up passes in zone and man-to-man coverage. Overall, Hawk has all the tools to be an impact starter as a rookie and will be a regular at the Pro Bowl early in his career. While he played weak-side linebacker at Ohio State, he will be used best by moving him all around and lining him up at all the linebacker positions. An added bonus is that Hawk is a true leader, who will take control of the defense and force his teammates to raise their level of play -- especially on the most important plays.

STRONG POINTS
Hawk is a top-notch athlete with the acceleration and playing speed that is rare for a 240-plus linebacker. He consistently reads and reacts to the play in a flash, accelerates to full speed very quickly, and makes plays all over the field. He is extremely smooth dropping off ball into zone coverage and can run with any tight end down the field -- he can break up passes with his front arm or make the hard tackle right after the catch.

WEAKNESSES
The only real weakness is that Hawk is under 6-foot-2, so he does not have the ideal height. He will occasionally over-run a tackle when he does not keep his knees bent while chasing in pursuit. His hands are decent, but not great enough to make the interception consistently. He is not an explosive pass rusher.

POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade Category Comments/Description
7.5 Read & React He consistently reads and reacts to the play in a flash, and bursts towards the ball.
7.5 Initial Quickness He reads the play and gets started towards the ball as soon as the play starts.
6.5 Play Strength He has very good playing strength to stack the point of attack, shed the blocker and make the tackle.
6.5 Tackling He can break down and tackle very well in space when he bends his knees.
6.5 Shed Blocker He uses his hands well to fight through, and he sheds the blocker quickly.
6.5 Run at Him He slips through cracks between blockers, gets into the backfield, and makes plays.
7.0 Pursuit/Range Hawk reads plays fast, bursts towards the ball, and has top-end playing speed to chase down the ball.
7.5 Closing Burst He has an explosive closing burst to the ball to finish plays he gets close to.
7.0 Zone Coverage He's remarkably smooth and fluid in zone coverage, breaks on balls quickly, and can break up passes.
6.5 M/M Coverage Hawk can run with tight ends down the field, and he shows the ability to break up passes.
5.5 Pass Rush Ability He's not explosive off the ball, but he slips through cracks well and gets pressure on the quarterback.
6.5 Errors He doesnâ€™t make glaring errors, but will over-run an occasional tackle.

ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 7.0
Hawk is a very good athlete, who is consistently all over the field and around the ball. He has excellent foot quickness to accelerate to full speed in a flash. He has top-level playing speed to chase down plays in pursuit, and has an explosive closing burst to finish plays. His athleticism shows best in his smooth ability to drop off the ball very quickly into zone coverage -- he can break and close fast, and he makes plays on the ball. When he stays under control, he can break down and tackle well out in space -- he does a very good job of making tackles on receivers right after the catch. He can change directions quickly and burst in the other direction, accelerate to full speed quickly, and chase plays down from behind consistently.

Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination
7.0 7.5 6.5 6.5 7.0

COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 7.5
Hawk is a super tough linebacker, who consistently has played through pain and has shown a willingness to step up and take on lead blockers aggressively at the point of attack. Not only has Hawk been extremely productive, but when Ohio State needed a big stop, he was the defender who made the most big plays. His overall production was tremendous -- he is the second-most productive linebacker ever graded (He was involved in one play out of every 6.1 snaps). He is a very consistent player, who not only is always around the ball making tackles, but has shown a knack for making the hard hit or big play. The two areas he needs to become more consistent are: staying low when in pursuit so he does not over-run some tackles, and catching passes he gets his hands on better for the interception. He showed he was a team player when he chose to stay for his senior season when he would have been a Top 10 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.5
Hawk is an extremely smart linebacker, and it shows in his hand usage vs. blockers and his precise, sharp zone drops. He has tremendous instincts, which combine with his super quick feet to let him consistently read and react to the play in a flash. He plays with a very high level of concentration, but occasionally will lose focus in pursuit, getting upright and over-running some tackles he should make.

Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration
7.0 7.5 6.5

STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 6.5
While Hawk is definitely a well-built linebacker, he is also clearly shorter than ideal and can be engulfed by taller offensive linemen at times. His toughness, competitiveness and athleticism helped him be a durable player at Ohio State, and he will be a very durable NFL linebacker. He is a naturally explosive player, who consistently explodes to the ball carrier when he gets close to finish plays; the only area he doesn't display explosiveness is as a pass rusher. Despite being shorter than ideal, Hawk has very good playing strength -- he can stack the point of attack vs. lead blockers, and makes strong tackles vs. big ball carriers consistently.

5 5 Green Bay A.J. Hawk OLB Ohio State
Vic Carucci's Analysis
Hawk was widely seen as the "safest" pick of the draft because he combines elite playmaking ability with the sort of work ethic and overachieving mentality normally found in less talented players. Although it would have made sense to provide Brett Favre with the draft's best pass catcher in tight end Vernon Davis, this is the perfect cornerstone player for the new era of coach Mike McCarthy. Hawk is a strong leader and will make his presence felt immediately on a defense that needs plenty of upgrading.

Gil Brandt: A.J. Hawk is one of the best players in this draft, from the standpoint he can do everything and will add a tremendous amount of character to the team.

Pat Kirwan: He's an excellent fit as a weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 defense. With 368 tackles in college in three years and 37 tackles for a loss, he is ready for the NFL now. My expectation is he will have 100 tackles as a rookie

With his fiancee, Laura Quinn, at his side, Green Bay Packers first-round draft pick A.J. Hawk walks down a tunnel after looking at Lambeau Field on Saturday night, April 29, 2006, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers picked the Ohio State linebacker with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft. Quinn is the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

With his fiancee, Laura Quinn, at his side, Green Bay Packers first-round draft pick A.J. Hawk walks down a tunnel after looking at Lambeau Field on Saturday night, April 29, 2006, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers picked the Ohio State linebacker with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft. Quinn is the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

April 29, 2006

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Lets hope hes a solid player and that he lives up to his promise. Reminds me though of Tony Mandarich.

With his fiancee, Laura Quinn, at his side, Green Bay Packers first-round draft pick A.J. Hawk walks down a tunnel after looking at Lambeau Field on Saturday night, April 29, 2006, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers picked the Ohio State linebacker with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft. Quinn is the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)